Introduction to hyperthermia device evaluation

Abstract

From 10/81 to 1/87, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the U.S. Department of Public Health Services (PHS) contracted with four institutions to evaluate hyperthermia technology to be applied in the treatment of human malignancy. During the five year period 1981-1986, data were collected which now reside in a consensus database representing treatments of 792 separate sites or fields in a total of 573 patients. These patients were treated with one or more of 49 devices by the four institutions. Sixteen ultrasound (US) devices were evaluated in 195 sites. Nine magnetic induction (MI) devices were evaluated in 208 sites. Twenty radiative electromagnetic (EM) devices were evaluated in 488 sites. Four interstitial (IRF) devices were evaluated in 37 sites. Many sites were treated with multiple hyperthermia modalities. This first in a series of 13 reports describes the general objectives of the Contractors' Group, basic methods of device evaluation and brief details of the large variety of devices tested.